Brooklyn O'Shoney Christmas Traditions + CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

Daniel and I are celebrating our third married-Christmas, and while we are still new to this whole marriage thing, we're already starting to develop some lasting traditions. Some of them were carried over from our upbringings. Daniel's family especially has some great traditions when it comes to setting up their tree that we have adopted. Other Christmas traditions have just been bred organically, either by accident or by necessity. 

Either way, we're pretty proud of them. Here's our list so far:

1. The Christmas tree must be real, and it must be bigger than the tree which preceded it. 

I'm not sure how sustainable this tradition really is given how long we hope to be married, but so far it has proven true. Growing up, my family always had a fake tree that we would dangerously lug down from the attic. My dad would put it together and my sisters and I would fluff out the branches. Daniel's family, on the other hand, always ventured out to a Christmas tree farm to cut theirs down. 

The Brooklyn O'Shoneys (that's Daniel and I, by the way) have met somewhere in the middle in that we walk about 7 blocks to pick our Christmas tree out from whoever happens to be selling trees in our neighborhood. Daniel walks it back, and I stop at a bodega to buy a bottle of Sprite (did you know that your tree will last longer if you use Sprite to water it on the first day?). 

2. We must listen to Motown Christmas at some point while decorating the tree.

This tradition comes from Daniel's family, and I am honestly happy to oblige because my family would always listen to Mannheim Steamroller whilst setting up our tree. Motown Christmas is an obvious upgrade. The Texas O'Shoneys also listen to the SheDAISY Christmas Album (which, shockingly, has 77 customer reviews on Amazon). We've continued this part of the tradition only as a joke, but it has continued nonetheless.

3. We must have AT LEAST one argument over the use of ornament hangers. 

Daniel vehemently believes that ALL ornaments, regardless of whether or not they have pre-attached strings, should have metal ornament hangers attached to them. To him, this makes the ornaments last longer because he lives in an alternate reality where gravity does not exist. 

This is an absurd notion to me for several reasons. #1. SCIENCE...attaching the hanger to the string causes it to become taut from bearing the weight of the ornament. It then causes said string to wear down faster over time than if it were able to rest on a wide branch. #2. Aesthetics...it just looks odd to me to have ornaments hanging so much lower than the branches they are placed on. It's MADNESS, really.

Please weigh in on this debate in the comment section. I don't often exploit our marital disputes, but I feel like this one is far too important. 

4. We must wear our Christmas garb whilst decorating the tree.

This vest is very easily the best purchase I have ever made. I bought it at No Relation Vintage in the East Village way back in 2010 while I was here in NYC for an internship. I was so drawn to it that I bought it in October, before a hint of Christmas was even in the air. I love it because it is both tacky and utterly flattering. If I could wear it every day, I would, but instead I dawn it while decorating the tree and also to any Holiday event that follows. Daniel wears a santa hat that we bought at a dollar store. 

5. We must assess our mental health of the previous years by judging our ornament choices.

The above ornament was purchased as a white elephant gift by me and Daniel for a party we threw back in 2011. We loved it so much that we made sure that one of us ended up with it by the end of the night. It's apparently a depiction from Alice and Wonderland, but we just loved it because it looked like an absolute hot mess.

Each year when we look through our ornament box, we can't help but wonder what was wrong with us when we made the decision to buy these things. Like...guys...we've got some weird ones. We're even getting to the point where we can't remember where we got some of them, and when that happens, we just try to blame the ugly ones on friends or relatives (sorry, friends and relatives, I'm sure it wasn't you that got us the sad one-eared bear). 

6. We MUST MUST MUST have a fabulous photo shoot after we are done setting up the tree. 

And we have to capture everything...

even to the point of exhaustion...

...because, damnit, how often do we get to stand in front of such a beautiful backdrop?

We value traditions in our marriage, and we're still willing to add some new ones for Christmas this year. That's where you come in....

Comment with a Christmas tradition that YOU think we should adopt! It can literally be anything -- a tradition from your family, something you saw on Pinterest, or just something crazy that you make up 
-- whatever the case, we want to hear it.

We'll consider all of them, and not only will we add a few to our yearly set of traditions, but you'll also enter for a chance to
WIN A FREE SET OF ORNAMENTS handmade by ME
(and the hubs).

These ornaments will be homemade.
They will be sentimental.
They will most definitely be strange on some level 
(in the best way possible).
You know you want 'em.

Everyone is eligible, so start commenting!

Today I am excited to introduce you to Marney over at Sunshine and Monograms!

Etsy Shop -- Blog -- Facebook

First things first...that dog. Can we all just take a minute to appreciate how precious that little guy is? His name is Coconino and he looks like he loves cuddling, and I just want to give him all the treats.

Okay, now down to the real matter at hand. 

Marney creates personalized embroidery pieces, and it appears that this woman can basically embroider anything! Check out her Etsy shop to see what exactly I mean, but real quick, here is a sample of what you'll find there:

There is something about baby girls and dinosaurs that just works in my mind. If the same is true for you, snatch up one of Marney's customizable onesies! 

And if you're looking for some behind the scenes action, head to her blog where she showcases some of her favorite pieces and even gives delicious cooking tutorials. Plus, if you want to see more of Coconino, her blog is the place to be.

It's the holidays, y'all, so if you're looking to get something personalized for a friend or loved one, consider Sunshine and Monograms. Obviously, Marney is willing to work with you on a variety of customizable options, so check her out and tell her I said hey!

Sunshine and Monograms is featured today as one of Avoiding Atrophy's sponsors. If you are interested in advertising your blog or business here, head on over to my advertise page. I offer a variety of ad spots, including guest posts and giveaways as well as sponsor spotlights like you've seen here today.